prolonged sitting, immobility, joint stiffness, muscle stiffness, nerve mobility, circulation, rehabilitation, recovery, disuse muscle atrophy, clinical reflection

25 Aug

Dr Huang’s Clinical Reflections (7) The Human Body Was Never Designed to Stay Still |auckland acupuncture clinic

by PhD.Win In: Win huang clinical reflection - 0 Comment

Dr Huang’s Clinical Reflections (7)

The Human Body Was Never Designed to Stay Still

By Dr Win Huang, PhD (Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture)

A few days ago, one of my patients came in for acupuncture treatment. As usual, after the needles were inserted, he lay face down on the treatment table and rested quietly for around forty minutes.

At the end of the session, he told me that his hands felt slightly numb and his body felt stiff. When I looked at his hands, the skin colour appeared a little darker than before, and after gentle pressure, the colour seemed to return slightly more slowly.

Nothing unusual had happened. He had not injured himself. He had simply stayed in the same position for forty minutes.

Yet his body had already started to react.

That made me think about a simple question: why can the body begin to change after such a short period of not moving?

Many Body Functions Depend on Movement

Over the years, I have increasingly felt that the real issue is not those forty minutes. The deeper point is that the human body was never designed for prolonged stillness.

Many normal body functions depend on movement. Blood needs to circulate, while venous blood and lymph need to return. Joints need movement to help maintain normal fluid exchange. Muscles need to contract, but they also need to relax. Peripheral nerves need to glide to some degree as our limbs and joints move.

Even breathing itself is a continuous form of movement.

In other words, many body systems do not maintain normal function by staying still. They maintain balance through continuous movement and adjustment.

What Happens When We Stay Still for Too Long?

When a person remains in one position for a long time, local pressure increases. Muscles stay under the same tension, joints move less, nerve mobility is reduced, and venous and lymphatic return may also become less efficient.

In the short term, this may simply cause stiffness, numbness, heaviness or discomfort. Over a longer period, the effects can become more significant.

Medicine gives us many examples. Patients who are confined to bed need regular repositioning because prolonged pressure can contribute to pressure injuries. After a fracture or prolonged joint immobilisation, stiffness, soft-tissue shortening and muscle wasting can develop.

After many types of surgery, patients are now encouraged to begin safe movement relatively early because prolonged bed rest can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis, physical deconditioning and other complications. A limb that is not used for long enough will also gradually develop disuse muscle atrophy.

These are different conditions involving different tissues, but they all point towards the same principle:

Lack of movement can itself become another burden on the body.

“Flowing Water Does Not Stagnate”

There is an old Chinese saying:

“Flowing water does not stagnate; a frequently used door hinge does not decay.”

The human body is obviously much more complex than water or a door hinge, but the basic idea is still useful.

Many tissues need appropriate movement to maintain normal function.

A joint that does not move tends to become stiffer. A muscle held in one position for too long tends to become tighter. When normal movement is reduced for long periods, the body begins to compensate.

Sometimes the problem is not simply that something is “damaged”.

Sometimes the body is no longer functioning in the way it normally should.

Movement Does Not Mean Exercising Without Limits

Of course, this does not mean that every condition should be treated with immediate exercise.

Acute injuries may need protection. Fractures and surgical procedures require appropriate healing time. Severe pain, significant neurological symptoms or general weakness may also require activity to be carefully modified.

Rest has an important role in medicine.

But I increasingly see rest as one stage of recovery rather than the final goal.

The longer-term aim is usually to help the body gradually regain normal movement and function. The right amount of movement will be different for every patient and every stage of recovery.

The key is not simply to move more.

It is to move appropriately.

My Clinical Reflection

When I encourage patients to move, I am not always simply trying to strengthen their muscles.

I am trying to help the body return to the way it normally functions.

I want joints to move again, muscles to contract and relax, nerves to regain normal mobility, and circulation to respond naturally to changing positions and activity.

Health is not a completely motionless state.

The human body is constantly moving, adjusting and adapting.

There are times when rest is necessary, but recovery usually means gradually returning to normal activity.

That is why, after many years in clinical practice, I increasingly believe one simple principle:

The human body was never designed to stay still.